December 19, 2009

This is something I've been thinking about for a while and my lovely wife Belle and I were talking about it on the phone yesterday and I'd like to just get it down on virtual paper.

Oh and be warned, I say "inspiration" 4943 times and sounds really pretentious but whatevs.

You know, it's weird because Belle and I sort of fed off of each other for inspiration for a while. Then I don't know how it started but we both began feeling pretty blah. It feels like for months I've had random bursts of inspiration, but it's mostly just been monotonous, formulaic, or making sure I just barely have a decent outfit so I don't feel TOO lazy. Sure, there is inspiration that is more direct...a color scheme of a photo that you want to incorporate into outfit form, a character from a movie...but the inspiration to simply just be creative is harder to hold on to.

Which brings me to this photo from FRUiTS magazine, a Japanese publication that is all street style:

Girl is walking around on the streets wearing a crown, pink streaks in her hair, a long flowing skirt and tabi boots. And carrying a birdcage.

And then people like this girl in FRUiTS, or mad old women, or funny toddlers, who dress for the same reasons and may not even know it's called fashion, inspire me as well. They make me want to write a story using what's in my closet, or in a kitchen cabinet waiting to become some type of headpiece.

And that, in the end, is all I want to do. Use my resources, and just have fun with dressing. Weirdly enough, it's when people anywhere-outside, in school, online-don't understand my outfits or style that motivates me to just be stranger. Not that I think I'm Bob Dylan or some type of ENIGMATIC ARTISTE or an artist at all, but this refusal of others to try and understand why somebody dresses a certain way (for which the real reasons are, in the end, nothing complex) just makes me want to dress more obnoxiously. Be more difficult to understand, more over their heads.

Or, I'm a malicious and spiteful teenager!

But really, I love it when I love my outfit and I walk from class to class and feel like I'm practically floating. My head is bobbing around like Bjork's when she walked for Jean Paul Gaultier and I just feel very confident in myself, not because I think other people will like my outfit but just because I do. And maybe even because I know other people won't like it because it isolates me and I can be in my own world for a bit. And it makes me feel good, and being creative makes me feel good.

And I think that is all I really want to do, and have ever wanted to do. The idea of being a mad eccentric who is constantly slipping into different skins is so appealing to me. I started this blog because I wanted to explore my style. Now I have more of an idea of what it is and will just continue to try and apply it every day.

Now, another reason I started is because I wanted to be part of the fashion blogging community and because I think fashion should be discussed. So let's get a discussion going: What inspires you? What keeps you in love with clothes? What makes you stray from sweatpants every day? Tell me.

183 comments:

i just can't bear to look like everyone else, it feels really nice to have people notice you (whether or not it's in a good or bad way) because you've at least dared to dress differently. i think dressing unusually isn't about being shallow and wanting to stand out the most, but quite the contrary; knowing how to express the person on the inside through the garments you wear on the outside.

i'm glad you've discovered FRUiTS too - your style and confidence to wear what you want always did remind me a little of the girls in the magazine : )

wow first comment! tavi, you aren't just a raving teen. you have a sense of uniqueness and idividuality. You get it, something you don't see from many people. All of my friends don't understand high fashion and art so well, and I feel just like you.

This may sound overly sentimental and stupid, but... I am an actor and so... I would say my inspiration is people ...and characters, really. But the thing is, when I am a character, it's not like i'm becoming someone else, it's like I'm finding a new part of myself and just clarifying it and strengthening it. I'm sure this is just the way you feel about clothes. But there's another inspiration for me as well. I guess it's sort of a "l'art pour l'art" deal, but the satisfaction of knowing i have created something, have shared something with someone (even if it's only myself) is so inspiring. It keeps me going. I love inspiring someone else who has inspired me... do you see what I'm saying? I just think fashion, art, theatre... are all so generous and collaborative. (sorry for rambling).

Really what inspires me is a combination of comfort with different elements of arts and vintage. So in the morning I might pick an Amish home-sewn shirt because I feel nostalgic for the Victorian age. Or I might feel like I need to express a more Henrey Moore side of my personality, so I try and achieve the look of Rick Owens Or Gary Pugh. I don't know, my closet looks like any average teenagers at my school, except its looks more like a combo of ALL the different stereotypes put together.

clothes allows you to play games with yourself and with the others you dress a certain way because you feel a certain way and express your "in the moment" emotion. What inspires me is definitely beauty and the harmony that i get from it, knowing that of course Bjork can be equally beautiful to jean michel basquiat's paintings to me. Keep going girl!!!

Greetings from L.A. Tavi!!!The 50’s glamorous evening gowns, the 60’s British fashions, and the 70’s rock look inspire me. Looking at my mother’s pictures and seeing what she was wearing during those years is inspiring to me. The hair styles, the shoes, the sun glasses, the hats!!! I float when my girlfriends pick me up and they are wearing name brand jeans and coach bags and I am wearing a Summer dress with various colors, tons of bracelets, a huge yellow Target bag, 60’s sun glasses, shoes with sequences, and my hair is just existing! Float Mz. Tavz, never stop floating!!!Rose

OH! Tavi, I had a question, Have you ever read any of the Gilda Joyce series? For some reason whenever I picture the title character, I see her as you (style-wise). yeah, that and my style depends on what I'm reading and or watching.

well to be honest, the reason i first became interested in fashion was simply because i wasn't confident and i wanted to know how to be prettier. i think all interests in fashion stem from a search or appreciation of beauty through clothes. the more i got into it, the more i realized how ambiguous beauty is, and that's really when i began to develop my own aesthetic. many people consider high fashion to be pretentious and sometimes just straight out crazy (lady gaga, anyone?) but i think it's even more pretentious to make assumptions about something you don't understand or even care about. not to mention, laughing at what other people where is pretty arrogant too. i think it's awesome how the malice of your "normal" peers fuels you on to distinct-ify yourself even more, but for more timid people like me, expressing myself through such a blatant way, through clothing, took a lot of confidence at first. because fashion is always changing, it constantly introduces new concepts of beauty which i incorporate into my aesthetic and into the clothes i wear.

What keeps me away from sweatpants? The fact that they feel weird to me. It's like wearing pajamas to school. xDI mainly just wear jeans and a tee to school, but I really would love to start wearing different, more creative items. I love skirts, but I always bully myself into saying that I look weird in them. I actually really want to learn how to sew so I can create something unique and keep myself away from this computer that I love so dearly. Right now I'm focused on trying new things so I can find out what I really love. Cheesy I know, but it's pretty fun and gives me something to write about every once in a while.

I swear, when I was reading this, it sounded familiar. I love feeling free and different. I think to myself, nobody knows what I'm feeling or thiking wearing this, and I love that. Many people just think it's not normal, being me. What keeps me in love with clothes is that there are so many ways of combining and so much meaning behind it all. You also inspire, I'm sure, not only me, but everyone else because you don't seem to care fitting in categories.

Wise words indeed. I think the reason behind fashion choices and why it is a big part of some people's lives is a really interesting subject to explore.My love of clothes has two strands. The first is that I am also really passionate about fashion design (Funnily enough, I did some designs for you a long time ago!), and secondly I love to express my individuality through what I wear. And I suppose another reason is my love of vintage. When you are wearing a tea dress from the fifties, there will be a story behind that dress. You don't get that from a top from some high street store. The majority of my clothes are inherited or given by various family members. I wear the coat that my grandma wore to auditions, the skirt that my great aunt bought when she was sixteen, and love my great-granny's glove collection. These pieces are special are give you a sense of context. 'I know where this came from, I know whar happened while someone was wearing this.' I also feel that being confident in fashion has generally made me a much more confidant person generally. The fact that I am happy walking down a rural high street in knee length shift dress with a vintage coat and floppy seventies hat, also means that I much more happy to be happy being very individual in other apsects of life. "Music that no-one else has heard of?" Yes please. "And I don't care what you think about me reading classics and spending my spare time writing and drawing. Thats who I am." And what inspires me? Everything (just done a list of these things on my blog!) Art,nature, beauty, classic films, etc.. Rather a lot?Fashion is fascinating. It can either let you become an individual or let you become more part of a crowd than ever. Thats just your choice.

Wow, I think I have blathered on waaaaaay too much here, so I'll stop now!

Hi, Tavi. I love this post-- I am WELL past being a teenager, or even a 30-something (ahem!) but I have had pretty much the same philosophy about clothing as you express here ever since I was about 15. My mother used to walk along beside me in public, saying in a very loud voice, "She's a nice girl, REALLY!" because my get-ups were so bizarre. I loved them! I can't dress that way any longer-- I have a job I love and my workplace is highly conservative-- but I still push the envelope every now and then with something I like, even if it is not strictly work/age -appropriate. And I know just how you feel as you walk along, you and your outfit, feeling good just because YOU like what you are wearing.

I hope you never lose your enthusiasm for the sheer joy of clothing and style!

style is really important to me. i go to school in the smallest town ever where no one really has a style or pays attention to fashion. everyone just kind of wears sweatshirts and jeans and sneakers.

i wear skirts and tights and little hats every day because i feel more comfortable in them than i do in jeans, strangely. in pants or a sweatshirt, i feel self-conscious. but in my clothes, i feel like they fit my body type and they make me feel sort of springy or fairylike in the sense that i just feel confident and free.

and i love that the things i wear are things no one else would dream of wearing (at least where i live) or that they don't necessarily understand. its like i have my own little secret.

hey tavi! I have to say your individuality is quite impressive, I can only marvel at your courage to wear such daring outfits. Now, back to your question.... Fashion as a while inspires me. Its wearable art, its what people first see when they look at you, and its a way to be different. Where I come from so many people dress alike and its boring to be honest, dressing differently sets me apart, makes me unique, and thats why I love it. I want to be noticed, to have my little place in the world, and being the one who dresses really awesome gets me there. Fashion is something much deeper to me, I can barely wrap my head around it, and certainly cant put it into words. Its my way of feeling beautiful and loved, because when people say, "I love your outfit! Its so pretty!" it makes me feel accomplished. I guess fashion just comes naturally to me, so I embrace it, who doesn't want to be good at something in the world? Fashion is that something for me.

I was actually just musing about a slightly similar (though different) topic on my blog. I will admit that, particularly during time where I am bogged down with a lot of schoolwork and really don't have the ability to be creative, I resort to some fairly boring outfits. I think that my ability to connect with things that inspire me through your blog and others that I frequently read is extremely rewarding. You are one of many blogs that sometimes I look at and I really am, for lack of a better term, inspired. I don't know if you've seen this blog before but check it out, I just found it today and at the moment I found it, in a simple way, inspirational.

This is why I started following your blog. I enjoyed how you "fit" oversized clothing with bits and bobs that you found around the house and more. And had fun with it.

That's the cool thing with being young, it's great to see you use that. Because it gets harder when you get older. Unless you have lots of money then you can claim eccentricity. That's why I dig Vivienne Westwood, Iris Apfel and others like them who are able to do what they want fashionwise. Even Advanced Style and the older women in Japan dying their hair orange and wearing yukata. These all inspire me. I may not be up to there in age, but it's great to see people who can have fun with what they are wearing.

Seeing what some designers come up with also inspires me. Rodarte makes me want to relearn knitting since I sure can't afford most of what they have (and darn it I just missed their sample sale...boo). Miu Miu makes me want to get tiny animal prints now. h.Naoto and other designers have made me shred more than one piece of clothing. They also make me look at how things are put together and the use of unusual materials.

But even more what inspires me is my closet. Finding pieces that I love to just look at, let alone wear, makes me extremely happy. I've had to look outside of local stores and people to do that, the internet has been my fashion best friend. It also keeps me looking for new inspiration, places and people.

Although I will admit to wearing sweatpants with some very cool tops...nothing like mixing the inexpensive with couture.

those looks from absolute strangers as you walk down the streetEven if it's 'wtf is she wearing' they're still looking at your outfit and thinking about it.And in that way you've made very very subtle impact on someone's dayWell for me it's through the form of sequined leggings and a bumble bee broach.

Don't apologize for any rambling or ranting, I am so interested in hearing what you guys think and really love all these answers!

Maxine-So with you on it being kind of like your own little secret. And the same goes with comfort zones. If I'm wearing sweats I feel lazy and uncomfortable, I would rather be wearing something that forces me to have an upright wiry posture.

Roz-You said it's nice how vintage pieces have stories to them and I agree and also love that when we wear things we are giving stories to those pieces, as well. You spend your whole day with an outfit, it's a bit of a personal dialogue in a way, I think, if that makes sense?

That was not pretentious at all, and was, on the contrary, quite an awesome post. There are a LOT of things that fuel my dressing habits: love of fashion, love of beauty in every form, wanting to stand out, being a snob about wanting to stand out (I almost never buy from high street stores anymore), and fear of aging, among other things.

I adore anything that I can see beauty in. And clothes are a way for me to constantly have something to look at and enjoy, I guess? I love anything that looks interesting, and in my town where everything looks the same, being able to have an individual style makes it more fun. It just stems from my addiction to anything pretty and interesting, and if it's thought provoking that makes it even better. But in the end i'm pretty sure it's just because I like pretty things.

How we dress affects how we feel, obviously. If you read a book, you feel smarter. If you study your own outfits, you look better. If I wear a party dress that makes me feel like a fairy princess, the dress helps to channel that part of me.

People want to feel "sexy"- so they don a "sexy" perfume. Dozens of other people at any given place wear that perfume. How sexy is it now? How fabulous does that Aveda hairspray smell when everyone else in the elevator has also encased themselves in it?

If you're not thinking about it, you're not going to look different, smell different, or feel different. That's fine for most people; they don't want to be different, they just want to fit in, and they feel satisfied doing so.

But for those of us who require more from ourselves - who are more concerned with bettering, differentiating, or at least expressing ourselves - the endless search for the outfit that reflects exactly us *right*now*, is essential. It's life - how we live it, who we are.

Too bad this wasn't the giveaway question :)I have quite a monotonous life. I get up, go to university, cook for one person, sleep and feed my gerbils. I used to be even geekier than I am now. What I first loved about clothes is how it MADE me. At first it was like a mask. I dressed up as a person I wanted to be. Soon enough, I became the person I dressed up as. Or was it the other way around? I don't know. But I do know it's art for me. The way I dress every day is inspired by movies. Mostly "Eternal Sunshine", and "Flakes" and similar. And I'm the artist and the art. I make the look happen (I make stuff too, you'd like my headpieces *egotrip*). Anyway, I would be just a boring mouse if it weren't for fashion. I see girls with no jewelry or acessories, and i feel SORRY for them.

Strangely actual fashion never really inspires me properly to dress up but (at the risk of sounding cheesy) for instance a leaf on the ground with different colours, in a certain shape. Or a painting so that puts you in a certain mood (it doesn't even have to be shapes and colours inspiring me). Or this one little bow you found laying on the floor in a sad little corner but with an awesomeness about it. You know, little things. Hardly ever fashion, really. Also: cats.

Also, I cannot and will not go out injust a jeans and t-shirt. That's not my sort of aestheticism and I want a sense of beauty in as many aspects of my life as I possibly can. I feel better because I think I look good because I feel good. So you're not alone in that sentiment at all and it's certainly not pretentious either.

what keeps me in love with clothes: seeing what other people do! the boundary-pushers are incredibly inspiring, of course, but sometimes so are average people. sometimes, regular people, who probably don't consider themselves to be creative, make some beautifully strange aesthetic decisions.

sweatpants? i confess - i love sweatpants. but going out, the energy of other creative people, and my imagination keep me from settling into blah-ness.

when i was living in new yorkthere was this old man i would see in the garment district once in a while, he was average hight and thinwell dressed and he would wear this oversized butterfly (as a bow tie)and a big hand knit bag with a long strap that was oatmeal colored and had a rainbow and flower embroider on it. he walked so nonchalantly.he inspired me

I guess the idea that my clothes are what is going to tell the world who I am. Stereotype or not certain styles of dress show personality traits. Fashion lets me time travel and if I feel amazing when I walk out the door well, even if my day is terrible I know that I started it with some self respect. Fashion is fun to pull together and soon your personal style is as easy as the t shirt and jeans aesthetic of everyone else. Maybe I put too much thought into this stuff but it's nice when people pose the question.

people like YOU keep me from wearing sweatpants every day! i've always been adventurous and gone against the grain, so why wear sweatpants like everyone else? i admit that lately i've taken to wearing leggings, but that's only because school is so incredibly overwhelming and i don't have time to put together a killer (or even somewhat decent) outfit.xxneutraltuesday.blogspot.com

I am the youngest of three girls, and we were poor but my mom sews, therefore everything I had was either hand-me-downs (often several times over form rummage sales etc) or handmade like Dolly's coat of many colors. You have to be able to find beauty in the mundane and to see your reflection in a mudpuddle.

i'm inspired by the same sort of bizarre concoctions put forth by the girls in fruits. a lot of times it's the way they balance color, and not even what they're wearing. graphic design inspires me because it's what i do every day...

I have many random and unfinished thoughts on this topic. First I really hope that life lets you stay the same creative and idealistic person that you are right now only growing better and that all the cards will be stacked in your favor. - Said by someone who feels old and compromised.

Second, fashion is important to me because i am tall and awkward. I always have been. People stare at me because I'm tall & thin. They always have. It used to bother me a lot. Not so anymore. I do make sure that I am always presentable however and I'm sure that this is so important to me because of the attention I get. I am happy with the person I am presenting in my dress and style so when I hear snide comments from them, it is easy for me to brush them off. It's amazing the things people will say. This may sound sad, I don't intend for it to.

Third, I have 4 children. When the first 3 were young I dressed them all adorably and fashionably. If we were going out, they were color coordinated. Then our youngest came along and she is headstrong and knows what she wants and she does not want to wear the things I would put together for her. From a very young age she demanded to wear combination that were unusual together and I loved to see her do it. It's toned down tremendously as she's gotten older (8 now). No more loud prints with stripes but she still doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. She's so confident in the way she expresses herself that it makes me proud even when it's me that she's standing up to. Strength is so important.

Tavi, you are so grown up for your age. I have no idea how you do it. I love this post and the discussion it has sparked. I have been obsessed with fashion since I was a kid. I have always felt the need to not blend in. I grew up in a small town that was unartistic in every way and closeminded. Fashion was my way to be who I was. I remember in early highschool wearing scarfs in my hair and wearing pants with skirts over top when everyone else was wearing jeans, skate shoes, and hoodies. I was made fun of for sure. But it only made me more confident in who I am. I am not everyone else. I am not persuade in my opinions because of other peoples reactions. In a world of so many shallow empty brained teenagers and kids you are the biggest breath of fresh air! Everyday I see teengers in my city that all dress the same and act the same and are so disrespectful and wear too much make up. It has me worried for the future when these are our leaders. But then I meet the odd teen like yourself. Though you may be far and few between these days you are still there. I encourage you to keep doing what you do and I love that you do not succumb to peer preassure in the same way 95% of other teenagers do. You know what you love and you will not sacrifice that for anything. You are truly SO awesome!

Photographs and personalities inspire me-but not directly. I prefer to design things, so these inspire me to draw something reflecting the mood I want to give out. My style isn't mature yet, so I don't know what I would be comfortable wearing when I;m so busy. I don't have a lot of confidence around strangers. I don't look like anyone else, but what I wear doesn't fully reflect me yet.

Oh wow. I really admire everyone's comments, which makes me feel like what I'm going say sound really hackneyed or cliche or whatever.I think for a long time I've always wanted to be different. When I mean different, I mean unique as in myself. Only when I was little did I want to 'go with the flow'. I did things that my elementary school playmates did; if someone didn't like mayo, i didn't 'like' mayo (true story)and so on. But after I sort of fell out with most of my elementary school friends in 6th grade and probably started to be my (oh so geeky) self. But I didn't really act upon it fashion-wise until summer before freshman year. i was starting a high school outside of my home district and i had decided i wanted a change. i always admired different outfits (mostly in slice-of-life [not fantasy] manga because i was such an anime fanatic when i was younger) and wanted to mimic it. in an extremely geeky way, that was my first 'inspiration'. i mean i didn't want to go out and cosplay (if you don't know what that means...think of nerds dressing up like their favorite superhero or star trek character. only with anime characters) but i wanted to do something similiar.which brings us to some sources of my inspiration. i still sometimes find things in random manga (when i actually read it) inspiring (i.e. my strange affinity to oversized glasses) but things like music videos, 70s punk, asian guys (ha ha that sounded really sketchy but it's true xD), hip hop, destruction and asymmetry inspire more nowadays. but i think mostly challenges inspire me. ill find something and look at it and wonder how to make that piece of clothing, concept, color or whatever look good and try to incorporate that into my style. i think that's why i actually try to do those corny themed spirit days.argh....sorry for my crazy rant....

It maybe weird, but I'm very inspired by things that I read--certain scenes in novels, stories, and poems stand out to me either by creating a specific mood or telling a story characters that I feel like I can see. When I read something particularly affecting, I file it away and come back to it when I get dressed in the morning. Songs, movies, and TV shows work the same way--if I take in something I find interesting, and aspect of it can always be translated into a wearable concept.

I've also been forced to live out of a suitcase pretty frequently lately, so I've found myself picking certain items to base a family of outfits around--my Docs get angry when I try to lace them up over my jeans sometimes, so my dresses are getting more time in the real world, as well as a lot of skirts that remind me of cupcakes and wrapping paper that I dug out of my childhood closet the last time I was at my parents' house.

I've stayed in love with clothes because they are the easiest way to completely alter how the world sees you--appearances are their own first impressions, and by wearing something wacky or unexpected or scandalous is a way of telling a story. My life has always been largely about telling stories (whether through writing, performance, or visual art) and the potential that clothes have to tell stories without a single word being spoken is fascinating.

I forgo the temptation of sweatpants because they tell a story that most other people have already told: person running errands and looking to be comfortable. When I go to the grocery store in five inch ankle boots and a party dress, I feel more like myself than I ever could shuffling about pretending like nobody notices me.

I love to be noticed ! Can you beleive it ?And i 'm not ashamed at all to say it ! ... Why ? Just because it's the TRUTH !

+ I deeply deeply love Fashion ( Yes ...With a big F ! ^^ )+ Even if i am an extraterrestrial in my town because i have the same very original taste than Bjork or all the people quoted in your poste Tavi, or even You...I know that some really really wait to see me everyday and my outfits choices ...Because i can bring a kind of JOY to the other ...and also because I CAN'T be someone who doesn't care about Fashion ( IT S MY NATURE ... ) i continu to be an OUtfits' Lover !

oh yeah i almost forgot.today (actually right before i read this post. awesome post btw) i saw a man with a really cool combination of really wide sweat pants (not the one cuffed with an elastic band at the ankles mind you) tucked into some sort of all black hi top sneakers and i remember thinking 'wow that combination actually looks really cool'so sometimes, when they feel like it, sweatpants (maybe sorta) look cool

Wow, just wow! Wow to what you wrote, Tavi, and to all the comments above!As for what inspires me: I try to incorporate the trends I love in my every-day outfits, while always trying to stick to a certain idea of what I think is my personality. Music, movies (hello Audrey), magazines, and the typical styles of certain fashion labels helped me shape an idea of what styles that personality looks best and feels most comfortable in. Sometimes, when I feel un-confident and depressed and don't feel like I am that personality, when I feel nothing and am not in any kind of mood I find it almost impossible to put together an outfit. - This prooves, how important it is for me to wear something that is in tune with how I feel inside. Now, my looks aren't too crazy: I am rather reticent and so is my style. (but I can appreciate the crazier looks of others).

I have school uniform... which is annoying.....but as olivia the pig says, YOU CAN ALWAYS ACCESERISE! (i spelled that wrong)!What strays me from ponytails and pink nail polish is the general idea of not being like everyone else. On friday we had dress up day, and i wore everything that felt right. I even got tons of compliments! i think that there are only a few people like me and you, which brings me to a question; if everyone wore clothes that made them stand out, would anyone really stand out? answer at ija.digiacomo@gmail.comps, go Rodarte for Target!

I love making people think and I love name dropping and I love putting 2 ideas that have absolutely nothing to do with each other together. and if I can do all 3 of those at one time COUNT ME IN!!!I also totally get what you're saying about people not getting your outfits, and that motivating you to wanna be stranger(I especially love doing it to my family!!:))))my fingertips practically burn with excitement when someone asks me why am I dressed like I am or when someonegives me that sideways WTFF look:):) because I feel pleasantly and beautifully alien.

My inspiration is the person I want to be. How I dress is to feel better about myself, personally, not to gain the approval of my classmates. Sweatpants? Everyday? That is my pet peeve. I like defining myself with what I'm wearing, period. I don't want to be defined as boring and "comfortable". One of the best compliments I've received from someone who doesn't understand the concept of different styles is that I "dress weird". Well good, we should all dress a little weirder.

Omagawd. YOUR BLOG actually made me want to be less boring and more outgoing and crazy. I even stated my own blog because I'm home-schooled and sometimes feel that no one is around me so why be creative? Style is every where. It can be in teapot. On a leaf. Inside a shoe. Inspiration comes from every thing you do and see, but if its the same thing every day... How can you get anything? Have any thing to look forward to? And BTW, I like this post allot.

The thought of getting to dress up and present myself in every which way is sometimes the only reason I can get up in the morning. Beautiful clothes just make me feel so good, you know? Or clothes that mean something to me, like a cashmere sweater from my great grandmother or a long wool skirt that was my mother's pride and joy growing up. Putting things that are dear to my heart out in the open for anyone to see feels so raw and lovely, literally "wearing my heart on my sleeve". I guess that's why I (generally) stray from sweatpants, and dress with care.

I'm an older reader of yours and it makes me proud to know that you don't follow the sweats and Uggs crowd. It looks terrible! I too never wore sweatpants outside. My mother wouldn't allow it. I believe that individuals that care about what they wear have a deep sense of self respect. Whether it be a classic style or avantgarde. Personally, it is important for me to differentiate from the rest of the crowd. Even if I'm the only one who notices. As an older woman I am inspired by women who are even older than me and aging with style like Ines de la Fressange.

I'm boring right now. I do what everyone else does. Really, that isn't a terrible thing unless what everyone else wears isn't right for me....But, in any case, I'm starting from ground zero, and I'm going to try to express myself from now on. I'm ready to find my inspirations and express them :)

I recently started designing T-shirt prints for a local clothing company, and I think what makes me in love with my clothes is that they are my main inspiration for what I draw. They are who I am, and now are a part of me.

I want to be known for my art. And how I dress influences me to become who I want to be. I don't know, this sounds cheesy. But creativity is born through individualism. We can't as an artistic community let that die. Our clothes may be the only thing that we can count on to save us.

There are so many inspirations floating around. I think that the effortless chic of a Parisian woman is so wonderful. I dress not depending on mood,but each day I "devote" an outfit to a style icon whom I love. For example, today was Catherine Baba. I took the general inspiration that she has given me and created and individual interpretation. It really warms my heart to see how you dress and the inspirations you have. Thanks for the discussion! Enjoy your blog!

i love to be different. you might also feel that having an "odd" name is a huge part of making you stand out from the rest, well my name is Giacobba and having such a different name makes me want everything else i do to be unique. my sisters inspire me a lot because they don't see the big deal in being "normal" either and each have their own fantastic individual style, i love to dress up and i find all my outfits have different themes, sometimes i want to dress like a particular era or character from a good book of movie even a favorite song, or i will see someone i admire and i take inspiration from them. i can't stand to leave the house (or stay in the house) dressed in anything less than cool and quirky, because as lame as this sounds fashion is really an expression of oneself, even people who aren't interested in fashion express that by the clothes they put on their back. when i dress up in my clothes i feel like they make my day if i dress up as Alice in wonderland i am going to have a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of day. fashion is magical, it's like time travel and transforming, you can be anyone anywhere, you just have to slip on the right pair of shoes.

I have to say that I think you are incredibly brilliant. What you wrote has struck a chord within me. I find that I am drifting farther and farther away from the fashion I love because I run around campus all day. It's exhausting. While I never wear sweatpants (I find them quite unwearable in any occassion) I often simply through on leggings and an oversized tee. I hate that I've lost motivation because when I do try to put together an outfit I feel like I am on cloud 9 all day long. Fashion just lets me feel like I am stretching my creativity to the very bounds. I've switched from being a writer to someone who has invested a lot of time and energy into visual performance of art. Fashion allows me to bring this to every aspect of my life.Thank you Tavi for steeling my resolve to get back to trying harder everyday to stray away from the easy clothing options!

Hmm unlike some people who said eww to sweatpants, I really love to wear one (sweatshirt too) and think it could be fashionable too.

Aside from that sweatpants matter (lol) being a person who grew up in Asia for 15 years, I was under lots of influences from that Asian subcultures. I loved reading Japanese comics, manga, and always inspired by the delicate details of the manga characters' faces or even their sparkling eyes. The details of laces on their dresses, the very simple yet nothing-I-ever-saw in my normal life- silhouette of their coat, kimono inspired dresses also!

If you want to see these beautiful examples that I've said, you could simply read Clamp's work. They are the creators of Tokyo Babylon, X/1999, Cardcaptor Sakura, Angelic Layer, xxxHolic.. etc. I personally think Cardcaptor Sakura and xxx Holic are the perfect examples of what I wrote earlier.

I love finding different pieces that may not go together when you first look at them but when you finally make an outfit its like wow! I love not dressng head to toe in hollister and abercrombie. I love the way people may wrinkle their nose and are like your wearing that with that?i like that feeling of saying yeah i am instead of running backto my room to change

i look to certain blogs sometimes for inspiring pictures and think more like "what do i want to be like today" i think dressing like a different character is an interesting idea but often i don't do it&not to be disgusting but i look to blogs like yours and style bubble when i want to just go with what i feel like and be daringi think it's ok to look to other people for inspiration but to make your own interpretation of what they're wearing so that it looks completely newi also get really inspired by movies...all of the time!when i watched grey gardens and at another point the remake i took inspiration from little edie and though that kind of freaks people out in suburbia it was amazing hahaha!&i think everyone has a moment where they look at their outfit and go "eeeeh it's ok" instead of being really excited and proud of it but sometimes there are just lags...majorly.

That was probably the best and most insightful post you have ever written all year long. For me, because I come from Asia and they do tend to be a little conservative, I could never be as adventurous and creative when it comes to dressing. I have tried putting my own personal take and spin into what I wear, and maybe I wasn't brave enough to wear it on the streets. I know that when I do wear that outfit, I would be stared at and people who probably think "What the hell, are you wearing?" And that's why I admire you a lot for being so adventurous despite others not approving or liking what you wear. Even my parents do not even appreciate and forbids the fashion I want to wear and that constricts me a lot. Knowing that you have supportive parents just heartens me. So after reading this post, I know that it doesn't really matter what others think. I should love myself when I love what I'm wearing. And what inspires me? you. Tavi, you're amazing and love your style. Bye.

I'm so happy to have read your post Tavi and then all the comments that have been left. I like to be different in my own quiet way. I find so much joy in putting together outfits for myself and just playing around. Making some amazing outfit that I've never worn before out of things that I already own. I love searching for second hand clothes in shops and garage sales and markets and when it's a really good one and I'm finding really cool stuff I get so over excited. Recently I went to this old lady's garage sale who was selling everything her kids didn't want and moving to a retirement home. I was hyperventilating at the amount of amazingness happening there. She had all these great hats from the 50s and 60s and bags scarves and fabric pieces and oh I can't explain... you see the over excitement kicking in.. Mainly I get inspired by finding vintage pieces of clothing, or seeing someone in the street or in a film or in mags in something really out there or perfectly put together, or talking with friends who are as so totally obsessed as I am with fashion. I think that's why I've gotten right into blogs especially yours tavi because reading it is like having a chat with your 'as obsessed as you with fashion' friend. It's nice and it almost challenges me to be more expressive and out there.it would be cool if everyone could meet and have these discussions in real life hey.

p.s is it just me or is polyvore really fun like virtual dress ups?

p.p.s tavi do you know if rodarte for target is just being sold in the US or internationally like in Australia? wrong post to comment on but I want that nude dress on the model on the hay bale and the bow tie belt cause I used to have one and lost it and the lace bra and the yellow skirt pictured with the yellow lace cardi... maybe everything? It looks like a really cool collection.

i think it's really brave to wear whatever you want all the time-- a lot people feel restricted by their lifestyle and wear only certain things even if they might be really creative and wonderful and into fashion on the inside. what inspires me in everyday dressing can be a picture or a lifestyle or a new piece of clothing, basically just keeping my eyes open to the world and trying to express that through getting dressed, and not always trying is also important, because it takes the fun away from fashion...just let the inspiration come, because it will when it will and you cant really hunt for it...just keep your eyes wide open O.O

i like your justification of style. im not quite as daring in my fashion choices... the stuff I have isn't quite likely to turn heads, but I like to be wearing something that gives just a bit of a nudge out into the abnormal, something that shows I'm not just a clone. I spent 13 years of my life wearing a uniform and feeling just fine, but then I went to a big university with thousands and thousands of people and I felt so alone. and that is wear my obsession with fashion began.

when i dress the way i dress makes me feel good/happy!and i dont think i cud live without ebing creative its a great passion of mine even tho sometimes it can be stressful but its a great kind of stress ..and when the deadline has been met and the product is something that im am proud of, the sleepless nights are totally worth it :)++

Hey, Tavi...I am also exploring my own style. I think that I have been, since a young age. When I played with dolls as a child, I didn't just mix-and-match the clothes; I cut and snipped and tried to make my own designs for them. Even before I really became aware of the fashion world's heartbeat, I sometimes did wear my clothes in ways different from how they were supposed to be worn, just to make it work for me. Even then, I cared about how I dressed. In 8th grade or so, I discovered The Sartorialist, and Mr. Schuman's blog rocked my world and revolutionized the way I dressed, the way I thought about clothes and made me see other people's outfits with a new eye. Ever since then, (I'm now a freshman at an art high school) I have tried to dress interestingly, with a wide variety of color stories, textures, prints, etc. Sometimes my classmates think my outfit is "cute" or cool, but not all the time. Like the days that I'm inspired by Katherine Hepburn, and I wear high-waist-ed, pleated pants and all nude/ neutral tones. On those days, I get odd glances, but it's alright, because I like my outfit. I am not as creative as you, Tavi, no where near. But it is you, as well as the people that Mr. Schuman and Garance Dore shoot, and these photographers' ideas about style and fashion, as well as people around me, that inspire me. Once in a while, you spot this person who just passes by you, but has this raw, yet subtle grace and charm. In their smile, their gaze, their stride, their uniqueness, their aura. It's just so damn cool. And then there are people like you, who dress explosively to be an explosion. Physically, and a burst of sheer enjoyment inside. Both of these kinds of people inspire me. It's just... every day, the outfit is an experiment. It may go wrong, or sing wonderfully. But it's all about thinking about things around us, in this particular case, style, in new ways. (jaunefilleno.2@gmail.com)

I pick clothes by what is aesthetically appealing. Is the color nice? Is the texture interesting? And I start trying to mentally work it into my wardrobe. For shoes, I either wear big clunky boots or small, dainty slip-ons. Lately I'm really enjoying 3/4 sleeves and trying to work in some color (I wear a lot of black, grey, and white).

sweatpants should be illegal. at least for women anyway. if a guy wants to wear some sweatpants while he's at the gym, lifting weights or something, sure, whatever. but on women they are universally unflattering and even more so when they have some perceived witticism stamped across the bum. so that's why i keep away from sweatpants. anyway...i think what keeps me in love with clothes is that there are so many styles, colors, silhouettes, textures, and on any given day, i see the world's interpretation of 'wearing clothes'. and the majority of high school students who hang out in the mall notwithstanding, everyone's got something a little different going on. and it fascinates me.when i see something i like on someone, it inspires me to figure out how to make it apply to myself without copy-catting. i also love making connections, and that's so much a part of getting dressed. matching something, not matching something, figuring out how a shirt in my closet is somehow akin to a skirt on an old lady on the bus.

thanks for this post. i love fashion but have felt so uninspired and bored by it lately. now i have a renewed commitment to exploring/creating my style again, even if it means standing in front of my closet for hours.

I do love to be in sweatpants, but my style is derived from just loving fashion and loving making fashion work for me, sometimes in a totally different way each time I wear one piece. Making people stop and look. Feeling good in my clothes.

I inspire to be creative in my clothing just to show everyone a little piece of me each day that just might surprise them.

Inspiration is something that comes from everywhere, I like to think. I make up characters to go with certain songs I like, I stare at the sky every morning like an idiot just to see how different it is from yesterday - sometimes I even feel a little inspired from simple gestures that my friends make. Fashion is just another channel for all that to meet the surface.

I love looking at fashion so much, I even dabble in design (hopefully I'll study it, if things turn out right) but as far as dressing out-of-the-norm I'm pretty restricted.

I've grown up and lived in the same closed community for my whole life, with practically the same people. Living with all those restrictions suddenly makes you very very scared when you want to try something different, especially when the people closest to you are some of the quickest to judge.

I have to start slow, but I know it's a sure road away from mainstream for me. Little things like this blog help me work up the confidence to walk out of the house in what I want. I know for a fact that if I can lose this (admittedly foolish) fear, I can push my creativity through new boundaries.

I don't know that I necessarily dress "to be different" all the time... of course sometimes I like to stand out (albeit in a subtle way) but I feel like most of the time I just want to wear something that I love, that satisfies ME. I'm only a few years older than you and to be honest I do struggle a lot with nasty comments from others, but at the same time, like you said, it drives me just to provoke them more.

Tavi! thank you so much for posting this. I can completely relate -- sometimes I wear perplexing things to school, and I can tell people don't/can't/won't take the time to understand it.

What inspires me to keep going is a combination of not being able to bear being another kid in sweatpants going to high school, but also that look I get when I know someone is confused with my outfit choice. What especially tickles me is when people say, "I like your..." and trail off because what I'm wearing is not even categorizable!

I guess I've always felt this pull to adorn myself in interesting ways. not only has it been so much fun to play with the way i look everyday, but it has also been fun to stand out and to confuse other folks. it can be nice to think you don't fit in with the people who are around you, especially when there are reasons for you to not want to be like them. like you're so somehow different, or better? as i write this, it sounds more narcissistic than i imagined. but, oh wells.

you are absolutely adorable. you have great style and how lucky are you that you already collaborated with such an amazing designer! i just started my own blog, and even though i'm a little older, i'm still turning to you for inspiration. thanks for everything.. and keep the outfits coming

My books and my movies inspires me. I mean, books and movies that others made and that I read or watch. People just inspire me jealousy. Some arts tings inspire me too.What keeps me in love with clothes is the fact that you can always think about it, about a logical outfits that you can look at and think that everything is well done with, and those bitter moments when you that everybody is wearing that things that you know about before them.What are sweatpants? I think they are sort of a sportswear thing? I hate sports.Em, my English sucks ; I'm sorry about that.

I'm into fashion because I love innovations! A new way of stitching. A creative new pin tuck. A Gorgeous new print. A lovely new shade of leather. A new take on collars. And so on and so on. Makes me giddy. I want to own and wear everything. But alas, I can only wear some. And afford some. But I can still look at everything, and just enjoy the beauuty!

What a great post. I love your taste for eccentricity. We need more people like you! I work in fashion but my main inspiration for dressing are classic Hollywood films...when men dressed in tuxedos and women wore magnificent ivory silk dresses... I grew up watching these films and I guessed it's lingered. I love the way one's movements, aura and even feelings can change depending on the clothes the person is wearing. I guess clothes help me be the person I want to be. That's why I would never get caught in sweatpants...

Hmm, inspiration. On the streets of London there is a lot. But what I like to see is when students: who are really short of money. Can still manage to dress well and that i envy just shows you can make somthing from nothing.www.theinevitableworldoffashion.blogspot.com

Hmm, inspiration. On the streets of London there is a lot. But what I like to see is when students: who are really short of money. Can still manage to dress well and that i envy just shows you can make somthing from nothing.www.theinevitableworldoffashion.blogspot.com

Hmm, inspiration. On the streets of London there is a lot. But what I like to see is when students: who are really short of money. Can still manage to dress well and that i envy just shows you can make somthing from nothing.www.theinevitableworldoffashion.blogspot.com

Sometimes it is a film or something in a book, and Garance Dore's blog,seeing someone cool wearing something cool. Mostly it is my mood that inspires me. I wear what I feel. And Sometimes the weather, like wind would make me want to wear a flimsy dress or scarf that can look all dramatic when you walk in the wind. Then there is the little details, like pleats in a short, ribbons or buttons or sometimes the texture.

Sometimes it is a film or something in a book, and Garance Dore's blog,seeing someone cool wearing something cool. Mostly it is my mood that inspires me. I wear what I feel. And Sometimes the weather, like wind would make me want to wear a flimsy dress or scarf that can look all dramatic when you walk in the wind. Then there is the little details, like pleats in a short, ribbons or buttons or sometimes the texture.

Ha, cool I can really identify with your story. I've always lived in a small town, with extremely bland people, anyone who tried to dress somewhat 'different' was immediately weird, or whatever. I've never really thought of myself as a fashionable person, or decided to dress fashionable. I just feel that my imagination is so colourful and big, and my clothing is just a reflection of that. And then there was my mom, who always had and wore gorgeous clothes, even made clothes herself. And she always let me wear whatever I wanted. I think people get too strict about 'being fashionable' or dressing a certain way, and that way, they end up looking like everybody else.

what keeps me stray of sweatpant repeats are days when i'm with my guy best friend. he likes to go cruise out to the middle of nowhere and that smile is affirmation he thinks i'm different. very simple. and i don't think i've told anyone that.

You are so right...I just started blogging, not because I initially craved to, but because I was curious about the blogging environment, and now I found out, that I just like to share my passion with others...I like your very cute and uniqe style. I find it funny how you love the long and quite old fashion skirts, because well I do too... I don't know why, but it just fascinates me so..To wear something that maybe is not considered to be "in" right now but still style it so it looks GREAT...Part of dressing up is also to get reactions, wether they are good or bad... But for me blending in is just not satisfying...

I'm from Denmark, where people I might say are quite stylish but in a rather contemporary way, there definitely isn't much out of the box.. therefor I also feel the need to contribute sometimes with something outrageous like the hats you love to wear, which are very pretty but also not what you expect for others to wear on an average day... but never the less I love to wear them...

And you are so right, when you wear these kind of items, it does really feel like you are in your own little boble, and it really kind of feels like you are floating... and also your are able to see and hear others reactions, but you're just in a zone where you don't care... everything's good..

hi i never leave comments on blogs but i really like that you mentioned toddlers. i have a 5 year old daughter that is exactly this, she's pretty fantastic. there isn't a day that she isn't weighed down by the amount of layers & the amount accessories. it's been often i will realize that something i think i've never seen before is actually something she is now wearing upside down!! she looks at your blog with me sometimes & talks about how cute you are. wish i could attach a pic of her to this for you but i don't know if that is a thing? we live in chicago so maybe you'll bump into her sometime. hope you have a great holiday season. xo-mama

Well, my inspiration comes from old movies like Woody Allen's or the 80s. Annie Hall, Molly Ringwald, St. Elmo's Fire, etc. Sadly, I end up dressing iike a major prep instead of a Breakfast Club Character but whatever. I like sweaters and polo shirts and my Raulf Lauren polo winter shorts with the vertical stripes.

What inspires you? I'm inspired by the style of other bloggers, by vintage clothing, by being comfortable and still looking good, by colors, by art, by designers. What keeps you in love with clothes? I stay in love with clothes because I love the textures and the innovative way that the designers use the materials. It's really just that I love seeing new things, and things reinvented, and that keeps me going. I always want to see how someone combines things next. > What makes you stray from sweatpants every day? I get away from sweatpants because I love doing something new and unique (hopefully). I want to combine elements of other things and make something new and cool. I don't want to look like everyone else, and I don't want to look like I don't care about my appearance to the extent of getting sloppy.

Tavi.. im a 15 year old girl from ireland and LOVE fashion and your blog! everyone in my town worship the "aeropostale and ugg" look, which i dont understand! i have no one who really understands fashion to talk to so i usually rant on to my classmates about Proenza Schouler or John Galliano, etc. and they just look at me with blank faces! and when they realise im talking about a high fashion brand they are like "ooh like abercrombie?!". this drives me mad! sweatpants and hoodies isnt exactly avant gard is it?! and if unusual beautifuly unique pieces are out there to be worn, why would you choose to wear a mass-produced grey hoodie?!we need to stand out and not all look like clones!! you are an inspiration to us for us to stop being.. the same!! luvn the blog! :Pcharlie xxps: pleeeease come to ireland ;)lol

Tavi, you speak the truth, a magestic truth! Eccentricity leads us away from the passivity of the masses and helps us become more intensely involved with the world around us, our with our selves; chosing a detailed outfit shows that we understand what our skin wants to feel, what our eyes want to behold etc.Our outfits are both subconsciously and consciously inspired by the atmosphere around us, therefore understanding our colour schemes, textures, fabrics and where the inspiration for them comes from means understanding our environment, our history, our feelings, our skin. It gives us a wider perspective on the world, shows us how everything is linked.

I hate lazy dressers, those who just wear what everyone else is wearing because, to me, it is representitive of peoples laziness with thoughts, ideas, knowledge, opinions and this laziness drives the world to becoming a place of numb lifelessness, encourages the death of boundary pushing, of mess, of revolution in art, a death of unique beauty. This is what inspires me to attempt to dress 'individualy', although I'm sure there are many other, far more shallow reasons for doing so as well!Best wishes,Naomi

Hey Tavi, amazing post. Congrats!What really inspires me is looking at what people wear on the streets everyday. I also get inspired by going shopping and looking at all of the fabulous clothes around me.Enjoy your weekend!-The Trendy Fashionistahttp://thetrendyfashionista.blogspot.com

Boys. Boys inspire me to think about how I dress, as shallow as that may be. But every male I have ever known seems to be in awe of the fact that I show up to events in dresses and high heels as opposed to PINK sweats and Uggs. I cannot let their attention wander and so continue to dress well every where I go. Thus far it's working; despite never showing much more than my hands and face I have no problem.

What inspires me... Pop, Love, Lula, Dazed & Confused, Italian Vogue editorials. Stylist Nicola Formichetti's work oh and Grace Coddingtons. Anna Piaggi, Leigh Lezark and Daphne Guinness. My artist friend Julie. Looking at all the runway shows on style.com. Vintage shops... the list is endless. I hate looking blah but sometimes it just happens. I prefer to give myself a character theme and dress up for the day.

I like to get compliments. That sounds bad but I like to be appreciated for being myself. I don't get compliments for being like every other "in style" person either. I mean, I doubt anyone gets compliments on sperrys or a north face jacket because EVERYONE has one so what would make you special for wearing them?? Even if they are "In style" like that. I guess I don't like compliments as much as I like knowing that I can wear stuff other than sperrys uggs rainbows an northface jackets an still not be a freak. I hope other people catch on to this idea also because I don't want the world to end up looking like everyone came out of a factory.

Great questions, and something I'll ponder and let the keyboard be conduit from brain to screen.

To me though, just as important to examine is why people who are inspired (like myself) do not act on that inspiration. I love fashion, and certainly an edgier style than I currently wear, and really, ever have.

So what's holding me back? A few things, I suppose. Budget, for one - though you do a great deal to dispel the myth that you have to spend loads of money to be stylish.

Body, secondly. I haven't been in the shape I'd like to be in, to have the clothing drape nicely and not gape, ripple, get caught in an unfortunate wedge, ride up, slip down, etc. for about eight years. And I am only about 20 pounds heavier than where I'd like to be! MOST fashion (not all, don't hate me, folks!) is meant for thin girls. It drapes/hangs/falls better. I try something on and have a mental image of how it's going to look, and I end up looking and feeling like I am trussed up.

Also, time. Life takes over and it's difficult in the limited free time I have, to put something truly unique together.

That said, what inspires me is images of men and women who are eccentric, truly tres fashionable, and KNOW it. And are not cocky, but own it. They wear the clothing, they don't let the clothing wear them. By now that's become a cliche, but it's still true.

And for me, clothing must feel good, not just to don and wear, but the hand must be soft/luxurious/interesting. Colors, too. I must feel like a better looking version of myself when I have something on.

If only you could see me now, you'd think I was talking out of my butt. Sleep shorts with whales on them, and a tank top with breastmilk stains. Very becoming. So you can see that not only have I not strayed far from sweatpants every day, I have actually regressed from them. Sheesh. Hey, our baby has only been home since Wednesday!

Helena Bonham Carter is my biggest inspiration! She dresses in what makes her happy and it makes me angry that she gets all this crap about it. But I think her style is just really charming. I think it's awesome that she dresses like the movie characters she's been. And she wears so many layers. It's some kind of wonderful. :D Ha I'd be really pleased if you did a random post on her. xD Even if a lot of people hate her style out there :(

Earlier this year I had to come up with a sentence to accompany one of my fashion images. I put... "Fashion is my desire to free creativity - to free the human spirit." So I want to design clothes that have a psychological aspect. Like say, if you're feeling a bit intelligent one day, you might put The Beatles 'A Day In The Life' on, to go with your mood. I'd like my customer to have an outfit that would also go with this mood.

What inspires me.. well, what motivates me to dress different from everybody else is just that, wanting to be different. I don't want to fit in, and I geuss I'm just attracted to other things than uggs and hollister tee shirts.

I don't believe that the thing that keeps me in love with clothes is tangible. There's no this person or that thing that makes me love clothes. There's just a feeling inside of me that I can't even describe. Like most of those names that you just rattled off in your post, I don't know who they are or what their importance is. But it doesn't stop me from not having inspiration or anything. And what makes me stray from sweatpants...good question.

this in incredibly well written. I never stop being amazed by the things you say and the inspiration you instill in others. You truly are one of a kind and should be extremely proud of yourself. keep it up :-)

ok i'm not sure if you actually read your comments, but if you do, i LOVEEE fruits too!if you don't have it already, you absolutely NEED the book Fresh Fruits, which is basically a collection of pictures from shoichi aoki all in one handy book!

I don't know why I'm in love with clothes, i just know i am! I know that I'm thinking of different combinations and outfits all the time..Fashion is in my mind constantly and I don't think I will get bored of it!It has to do with the way I present myself, the way I express,the mood I'm in!Everything could inspire me! Runway pieces,magazine photo shoots,blogs,everyday people, street style,movies,vintage fashion,video clips,celebrity's style.. A particular piece of my closet, or mom's and dad's closet, or even a simple accessory could inspire a whole new outfit.. Oh I love clothes!

Why do I shun the sweatpants and urge myself away from Ugg boots? I want to embrace the voices of countless artists who bless us with the gift of wearing their thoughts, their inspirations and their imaginations everyday. To combine the ideas of designers into a look of my own is a mashup masterpiece, a look I can make my own and wear with pride, even if I too get funny looks.

i think your looking into things too much, the list of names of people you mentioned and the ones in the magazines you also mentioned, have style that for the most part is effortless that just comes to them, where as i think you try too hard to mimic these people, in order to be some sort of "fashion eccentric"when all your doing is being a huge copycat wanna be, and hunny it shows.....

I was just looking at some pics from some girls in my hometown and all of them look the same. They have the same hair, dress the same way, man they even have the very same purses (because it's "in style" right now). And I honestly do not know why it bothers me so much but it honestly drives me insane. I really dislike when people think that fashion is to wear what everyone else is wearing and that it is just about looking the same as everyone else. People like that do not understand fashion, I think they have no idea what it really means. I'm not even a fashion blogger (I'm more of a fashion reader hahah) and still it affects me.

My inspiration comes from everywhere- movies (like Amelie), vintage bits I find at Goodwill (like my GORGE burnt orange bag), impressionist artists, or the colors that the seasons bring. To me, fashion is wearable art, however cliched that sounds. You are representing who you are to everyone, fashion is like a self advertisement. And who wants their advertisement to be "I'm wearing sweats and a Hollister top, I'm a robot slob"? Wouldn't it be better to say, "I'm a quirky fabulous girl who should really be at art school"?But maybe that's just me...-Carly

I feel like fashion makes me an individual in more ways than one. I love my hot pink Doc Martens, my Rodarte for Target, my Tokidoki bag. These-and a lot of other things in my wardrobe-describe my style and who I am. I want people to look and say, Wow, she has a lot of courage to wear this at *insert place here* I use fashion to describe myself everyday :]

It's taken me 28 years to work sweat shorts into my wardrobe. It's actually a great garment to be dressed up or down for an unexpected look. It's easy to look good in designer clothes, the style's built in. I think people should wear what they look great in, even if it's sweatpants ;)

This was a great post. I found myself nodding along and emitting deep throaty noises of agreement. Big deal. CQTM (demetri martin?)I think what motivates me most when I dress in the morning is that to not attempt creativity would be equivalent to choosing to spend my entire day in silence. I wouldn't ever willingly forfeit my voice, so it makes no sense to me to do so fashion wise.

Ah, you and your wretched throught-provoking posts, getting me all impassioned about personal style and such...

I'm a year older than you, Tavi (malicious/spiteful teenagers UNITE!) and just found your blog. The truth is that up until a few years ago, I didn't care at all what I was wearing *cough*disneyland t-shirt*cough*. But one day I was sitting at home in sweatpants and realized how much more of myself I was when I had my hair brushed and hanging down around my face, and I had my favorite pair of jeans on that made my legs look super skinny... and then I started welcoming skirts and scarves and hats and I subscribed to Harper's Bazaar (where I found you :)).Because fashion is just a field of choices. And when you make a choice (ruffles or studs today?) that choice becomes a little part of you. And every day when you choose what to wear, you create a little part of yourself. So I guess the the inspiration behind wearing a maxidress in a herd of jeans is that I am finding myself, while they are following eachother- I'm sure you know what I mean. My floating moment is when I realize that I am more myself today than I have ever been. ;)PS I love love love your Doc Martens!

What on earth would make you think the girl in the photo doesn't dress that way for the love of fashion??!! Of course she does- why else would she go to that much effort? She may not speak English, but it's pretty clear she put a lot of thought and consideration into her wardrobe.

I first want to say I love reading your posts, especially this one. I used to be afraid of fashion and standing out but now I'm the total opposite!

I'm inspired by japanese fashion magazines, comics, colors, the need to feel glamorous even if it's just to run errands, and the need to make people look twice because I'm not wearing the typical NW outfit of a grey hoodie but actual color in a very rainy grey season. In the end I always hope that I've inspired someone to add a little color and glamour to their life.

I also want to say that the faded hair color look is pretty cool. I had that going for a while (in various different shades in the past five years) and got lots of positive feedback some people I least expected.

When I was in Jr. High and HS I dressed eccentrically every day. I didn't consider it a love of fashion at the time, but it really was. As I got older I unfortunately lost a lot of the confidence that allowed me to wear a Pakistani salwar kameez... days after 9/11 (not to be controversial, I didn't realize it was until someone called me a terrorist! Haha).

Now I am trying to regrow my inner eccentric. Simon Doonan has tons of great wisdom regarding this, and I try to ask myself if he would find my outfit "trag" (read his books!!)

I just hope that you never loose your will to be weird, because I am only 20 but still feel "old/bland/blah/yuck/trag" on days when I don't let my freak flag fly.

For a long time I have enjoyed trying out new artistic media. To me, fashion is another way to express myself artistically. (At the moment my own outfits aren't exactly artistic, but I'm getting there!) At the moment I use my old dolls as 'mannequins' for fashion experiments - dolls aren't limited by money, body type or the opinions of others.I am inspired by almost anything. The world is, in some respects, a very rich place in terms of inspiring artwork,natural places and people.

For a long time I have enjoyed trying out new artistic media. To me, fashion is another way to express myself artistically. (At the moment my own outfits aren't exactly artistic, but I'm getting there!) At the moment I use my old dolls as 'mannequins' for fashion experiments - dolls aren't limited by money, body type or the opinions of others.I am inspired by almost anything. The world is, in some respects, a very rich place in terms of inspiring artwork,natural places and people.

i first fell in love with fashion when i was 10 years old, i mean i had always liked clothes and fashion but this is what drew me into high fashion. I was fliping through harpers bazar and i saw a tory burch editorial. One of the models had on a blue leather jacket with gold buttons, and a scalloped edge like today's chloe. to this day the picture is still on my wall.

Hey Tavi! As a true blogger I am always concerned toprovide great ideas and estimulate my creativity. I am inspired by everything but people, films, books and magazines are my favourite resource for inspiration. Once I was so inspired by a photo of my mum in Woodstock that I decided to dig into her vintage closet and chose some marvelous pieces I found. I live in a small Town And people don't understand when I use a Balenciaga skirt or other avant-garde piece to school but I don't mind becouse the last thing I am searching for is acceptance ( acceptance is what makes everything so similiar - it makes us act like robots and want to feel unique)

It's hard to explain what keeps me in love with clothing. I can't really even explain it to myself. I just love the feeling of creating something that makes me feel so good and that's what clothes do for me. I love dressing how I feel and spending a little extra time on something that no one at will really take into appreciation except for maybe me, myself and I. Again, this may only make sense to me, but you said share, and that's what I have done. Until next time.Reva

Dude, I love your blog, and I've been a total stalker for a few weeks now. Hahaha

In middle school, I was dying to fit in. However, as I grew out of my shell and entered high school, I now frown on these thoughts. Because my city of Cary, NC has so few unique stores, and the only thing vintage is the GoodWill down my street, I have this crazy craving of standing out.

I'm truly inspired by nature, other cultures, and, dare I say it, Lord of the Rings (Oh, the long, graceful dresses... sighh). And, I can honestly say, I have never ever never ever ever ever worn sweatpants outside of the house (unless I'm doing a hard-core workout in the cold).

Thank you for your rambles and excitement about clothing. You dare me to try new things, although everyone else hasn't approved them yet. :)

just as a preface to this comment, i love this blog and i love your thrifting and stylings.

i am most inspired by my surroundings (i live in nh) and my favorite 80s movies. Mainly i love the lunberjack and ferris bueller, a good cardigan or printed sweater vest are my favorite things to dress with!!

just as a preface to this comment, i love this blog and i love your thrifting and stylings.

i am most inspired by my surroundings (i live in nh) and my favorite 80s movies. Mainly i love the lunberjack and ferris bueller, a good cardigan or printed sweater vest are my favorite things to dress with!!

Oh my word!!!! I know I tend to say that a lot, oh my word!!!! Again!!!!! Im not really into fashion, normally I just slouch around in tanks and skinnies, cuz Im a poet :) not a very good one though,. Anyway, but your blog makes me want to be fashionable!!!!!!!!!!!!Thank you so much for opening my eyes to the world of caring about what you wear!!!!!!

wow your blog is fantastic, I've never seen blog like your and I can't believe that you're only 13. Girl, you've got a talent, your stylings are inspiration for me!!!Thanks!!! ... and look my blog... :)

"fruits",sure,that is japanese magazine. On the other hand,most of japanese girls wears what the girl next to you wears, having Lui vuitton Bags with gal outfits. They dont want to be stand out from the group. They want to fit to everyone else... It sounds strange to you but its reality. I hate that. I want change that at least the people around in Tokyo.

What is "your" style? Life goes on with that question till I die, I believe. and I want to answer to that question seriousely, by what I wear everyday.

i started liking fashion because the people in my family didnt. my mom doesnt enjoy getting dressed up and then i have 3 brothers who could care less about which tshirt they throw on for any given occasion.

but now its more than that. i love to dress the way i do because i feel like an outfit has the ability to communicate your creativity, personality, and emotions to other people. on days that i am moody, i throw on my black jeans and fierce looking black booties. on days that im feeling light and airey i'll put on my cream colored peacoat.

i love to put together outfits and i love to see heads turn when i wear them.

To me, reading about fashion is like reading National Geographic articles about some exotic country I wouldn't dare visit, but your post was just so heartfelt that I had to post.

My ambivalence towards fashion comes from my desire to not be seen. I've developed a disdain for people who judge by appearances and labels, but also recognise that I'm as guilty of this as anyone else. So what to do? Makeover! Oh, I wish. At times I've set the browser to Private Mode and googled for "male sylists personal shopper", but then OMG they're so expensive, maybe I'll just browse these blogs a bit more. It's funny, because in some aspects I have no problem being contrarian and not being like everyone else, but when it comes to the visual side... I long to be invisible. I'm so sad.

I have to say that people like you inspire me. People who think outside the box because it is what makes them feel comfortable in their own skin. I am twice your age and I'm still trying to figure out how to make my outside mirror my inside, which means it should be fun and sweet with a streak of mean and a dash of sexy. How in the world do you materialize that sort of thing? LOL

I also feel the need to adress this comment:"you try too hard to mimic these people, in order to be some sort of "fashion eccentric"when all your doing is being a huge copycat wanna be, and hunny it shows....."All it shows is that you are truthful when you discuss which images inspire you. I don't know of a single person you listed can truthfully see that NO ONE has influenced them. It's not exactly eccentric to stray from the mainstream when it comes to fashion. Almost everythign starts out that way before being accepted by the the masses. I wish I had the heart to be more daring in my everyday life. PSYou may have Mia Farrow (circa Rosemary's Baby) hair but you have a style and light that is definitely your own and it is quite lovely.

What's inspiring to me are people who listen to their own instincts as to what's beautiful or worthwhile and build a very individual sense of style from it. Take Mr Gorey, for instance, with his furs and heavy rings. Or the painter Leonor FIni, who dressed every day as if for a grand masquerade. (Her paintings are equally marvelous.) A sense of humor is crucial.

Here's what keep me in love with clothes, they are an extension of how I feel, how I want to feel. There are clothes for every mood:in the color, the silhouette, the fabric, the pattern. I am never bored by clothes, I am always discovering, attracted to, interested in...inspired by.

well well well, let's see.. before i start answering your questions, i'd like to say that i agree with gina up here.

what inspired me at first and made me get interested on fashion was gwen stefani's style, so i started researching and i sorta became obsessed with the things that she is obsessed, such as vivienne westwood, comme des garçons, harajuku girls, john galliano and stuff

what keeps me in love with clothes is that every single season someone come up with some genius idea of, like, using something that was in 10 years ago, or something very fashion forward. and also mixing colors and textures and talking about is really fun

I am inspired by the touch of skin against skin. By the ash piling on top of my unmotivated cigarette. I am inspired by the lonely girl at the bus stop. By the masses of various umbrellas, colorful, boring, and patterned, that bob about on a rainy day. I am inspired by the glitter of the snow that decorates the countryside, and eye-contact made across the room with a stranger. I am inspired by city lights in the night, yellow and glowing and quite creepesque. I am inspired by the stitches that make up the whole. By the ants that work so hard and the birds that fly so swiftly. I am inspired by texture, by music, aesthetics. I am inspired by artists from the earliest of ages and modern artists, like yourself.

I love clothes because clothes are a human, our human, expression of all of these things. Clothes are of the physical world and can be used to manifest the things in life, such as thoughts and feelings, into the physical realm.

Sweatpants can be an expression, butsweatpants couldn't possibly express ME on a day to day basis.

Tavi I really like the your style I really can create fashion and can sing very well could you see me somehow advertise your style I think we could have a lot in common and be friends please as you have Skype or a contact 11-year-old Marika

I completely understand what you mean about how/why you dress the way you do. I feel like that a lot. But things that cause me to dress the way I do (my inspiration): old photographs that my dad leaves lying around, other various found objects (for example, I found an old roll of film, so I took it and made a purse of it), Native American jewlery, the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, past decades (the 80s, mostly, I suppose), and a strong desire to not wear what everyone else is.Pieces of inspiration I am desperately trying to fit into my wardrobe: Dale Chihuly (his large-scale pieces and attitude), modern art, India (but not in a Bollywood way--more in an authentic way), and farmers' markets.

For me, dressing different came before my love of fashion. It's something I've grown into while growing into my own taste. Which still has far to go. My motivation simply comes from within but I will admit that it feels great when I come to school and see my friends in the hallway -- who are content on wearing generic t-shirts and athletic shorts to school, or something as simple as a shirt and jeans, all of which disgusts me slightly -- and know that they will disapprove of my two pairs of tights or my baggy pants that look like something out of Aladdin. It just feels good. I love old movies though, and get a lot of inspiration from those. Although trying to emulate Audrey Hepburn has proven difficult and I've given up. I could never work the bangs as well anyways.

o-m-g... I´m actually posting in this... well, i find inspiration in Tavi and her love for fashion, i wish i weren´t that shy, if i had to choose my favorite dress it would have to be like weird monster ten times a houndred....i guess i´ll keep trying

My inspiration is a little of everything! It's a bit cliched but currently I'm inspired by the whole Mad Men/vintage thing, but I also look to fashion blogs and magazines. I lived in the UK for a couple years and the street style there has had a major effect on my wardrobe. I now lie in a small town where my glam/retro/eclectic style gets some weird looks but I have just learned to live with it.

Love your blog Tavi. Our wardrobes might not have a lot in common but it's great reading about someone who is just doing there own thing.

Most of my style inspiration lies in accessories like bracelets, necklaces and earrings. I'm not really one to jump on every style band wagon that comes around unless I really really love a thing. I like to see people who aren't wearing what's "in style" and what everyone's wearing, which is originally made me notice you for something other than being noticed by the higher ups. I wear clothing that supplements the accessory, not the other way around. So, my style isn't exactly very noticeable unless you look at my jewelery because it's going to be purposefully toned down so as not to outshine the accessories I wear.

i dont remember a day in my life that i havn't had a love for fashion. when i was about 5, i remember my coming down stairs with this Halloween inspired clear gift basket wrapping, stapled together over a bathing suit that i was wearing, oh and the straps were made out of tape dipped in glitter... as you can see, crazy, but i really felt goood about my self. Now that i am a 9th grader in high school though, i am afraid to express myself. and i have a enough clothes to kill! but when i am able to express myself i feel amazing. i am never able to commit to one specific style. i guess i just like being artsy, and am inspired by everything

Jumping on bandwagon here. Your last few paragraphs made me remember myself :) all through highschool I didn't dress like the other kids. When they made remarks (often trying to bring me down) I turned it up another notch and went for an even "weirder" outfit the next day. I loved doing that :D it was as if they couldn't get their heads around the fact that someone wanted to look different. Why on earth they'd want to wear a Walter van Beirendonck frog sweater to class. (answer = because it made me smile when I looked down)Anyhow, that was 10 years ago. Now that I have an office job with a shot at a promotion I actually try dressing more like the "norm". Which sometimes makes me sad. It's really hard to stay inspired when I don't know who to be anymore (in clothes). I'm trying to "look the part". But I still want to look like me. Hard to combine. I admire your creativity Tavi, and I think you'll end up with a carreer that'll allow you to express it fully.

i just have to say, this is probably my favorite post of yours. it's just...so true. not trying to sound cliche here, and you probz hear it all the time, but seriously! anyone who puts you down for being just a teenager, and thinks that you just rant..gotta say, they couldn't really be more wrong. you really get it, you know? you do what you want wear what you want, and i admire that. i look up to you when i feel a lack of confidence. i'm your age, and being a teen, having as much gumption as you do, is seriously admirable. so thanks for just being here, and putting yourself out there.